Exercises help the muscles of the body use up glucose irrespective of not capacitating adequate insulin or the improper use of insulin by the cells, eventually lowering the blood glucose levels.

1. Walking

This is the easiest form of exercise, especially on a beautiful day. A 30-minute brisk walk every day could energize our mind and boost stamina. Try taking a walk instead of commuting through a car for nearby places.

2. Dancing

It’s always fun to dance, more conveniently when we have a partner along or a group of people. Start your dance sessions with some fast pace music and continue your routine for about 25-30 minutes, doing it 3-4 times a week will give you the complete cardio routine you need.

3. Strength training

These exercises must be done at least 2 times a week and The best part about this type of routine is that you can do it at home some of these include Lunges, Squats, Push Ups, Sit Ups, Lifting heavy water bottles.

4. Swimming

This is one of the heaviest calories burning exercises, and it trains your overall body muscles, drops your cholesterol level and improves blood circulation throughout the body.

5. Yoga

This will help you lower your blood sugar levels also improve blood circulation and release stress and diminish the risk of heart diseases.

6. Tai-Chi

A Chinese art integrating mind, body and spirit, it involves slow movements with visualization and deep breathing and it is believed to improve the flow of energy throughout the body and helps you fight stress and overall control of mind, body and the soul.

7. Stationary Cycling

If you don’t want to hurt your knee joints this exercise is best for you, usually, you can have a stationary cycling session or just a normal ride in your bicycle, as long as you do it consistently for 30 minutes 3-4 times a week.

5 Things to be considered by diabetics regarding exercise

Eat a portion of 15 to 30 Gms of carbohydrates such as any fruit before exercise.

It is better not to exercise if your blood sugars are very high or low before exercise.

Ex: Blood sugars more than 300 or blood sugars below 90 mg /dl

Don’t over exercise.

Optimum exercise is better.

Maintain consistency

Consistent exercise yields good results.

Include at least 2 days of weight training in a week.

Weight training is very essential to maintain adequate muscle mass which helps in reducing insulin resistance.

In a week, include a combination of day’s physical exercises like walking, weight training, cycling, swimming etc. and day’s mind-body coordination exercises like yoga and pranayama.

Recent studies have exhibited positive outcomes of taking supplements for diabetes mellitus and to add to that many shreds of evidence emerge on the reversal of diabetes type 2 with low carbohydrate diet, fasting, exercise, good sleep and meditation. Using natural supplements for diabetes type 2 promotes ideal blood sugar levels. Although there is restricted scientific evidence for many natural supplements, they are time-tested across centuries, which leave no room for doubt that these natural remedies can mitigate diabetes.

Mentioned below are few of the natural herbs, fruits and spices that support a good diet in diabetics.

1. Ashwagandha

It helps the body cope with stress, hence it is categorized to be an ‘Adaptogen’.

Other benefits include boosting brain functioning, reducing cortisol which is a hormone that is released under stress. It can also be placed in the group of Ayurvedic supplements for diabetes.

2. Cinnamon

This is a spice that is used for cooking in a variety of dishes.

It also acts like insulin and amplifies insulin’s ability to capacitate blood sugar into cells.

3. Gymnema extract

This is another ayurvedic supplement for diabetes found in the forests of India and practically been used over 2000 years in Ayurveda. The benefits it accompanies is lowering blood sugar level, lowering LDL cholesterol, decreasing the intake of sugar absorption by the intestines and encouraging insulin release from the pancreas.

4. Berberine(Daruhaldi)

This is a supplement for diabetes type 2 extracted from the plant barberry.

It improves the overall health of a diabetic by lowering blood sugar levels and controlling cholesterol.

5. Pomegranate Extract

The pomegranate extract is an antioxidant-rich beverage which improves the growth of beta cells in the pancreas and also aids in the control of blood sugar level.

6. Noni fruit

It significantly boosts the immune system, because of its natural and nutritional value, which in turn keeps diabetes in check.

7. Jamun fruit and seeds

These fruits are native to our country India and are consumed like a fruit or as a dried prune. They inhibit the level of sugar in the blood and have excellent antioxidant properties that make them the best supplement for diabetes.

8. Horse Gram

The Miracle Pulse: This is a protein supplement for diabetes and these grams possess a special property to hinder the digestion of carbohydrates which thereby decreases the blood sugar level in the body. These are an effective diet for weight loss and can help patients suffering from diabetes type 2 with weight loss.

9. Aloe Vera

Not only is Aloe Vera good for skin but also a good dietary supplement for diabetes, with its hypoglycemic property it becomes a good supplement for diabetes type 2 and diabetes type 1.

10. Bitter gourd

Drinking bitter gourd juice or even boiling them is a good dietary intake for diabetes.

The compound called the polypeptide-p helps in combating diabetes naturally by regulating blood sugar levels in diabetic patients.

11. Fenugreek

Also goes by the Indian name Kasuri Methi.

This needs to be a part of a diet plan of a diabetic patient. A particularly certain type of Indian curries, pickles with fenugreek seeds is good to go for diabetes.

12. Ginger

If you cannot take this supplement in a greater amount, add it onto your tea or a flavoured curry, as this has the ability to reduce blood sugar levels in your body by magnifying insulin in the body and helps in weight loss.

13. Garlic

This helps in ceasing the liver’s ability to inactivate insulin thus helping the insulin level in the blood increase for better control of sugar level.

14. Saffron

It is one of the most expensive spices but serves as a great antioxidant for diabetes. So unless you find it abundantly, it is not a necessity to use it, there are other alternatives that provide the same anti-diabetic properties.

15. Cloves

They are a pungent tasting herb that improves the glucose response mechanism and insulin stimulation.

16. Amla

Indian Gooseberries have antioxidant properties, which help alter the high levels of sugar levels in the blood.

17. Turmeric

Consumption of turmeric can help you combat with type 2 diabetes. It has anti-hyperglycemic properties that make it a good add-on to any food you intake.

18. Green tea extract

Green tea serves as a good antioxidant in addition to weight loss properties and low obesity risk.

19. Fish oil

It is proved to decrease inflammation and improve metabolism and insulin regulation. Fish oil tablets are easily available in the Indian markets.

20. Apple cider vinegar

This type of vinegar helps in dropping blood sugar levels immediately after consumption of a meal if you intake apple cider vinegar simultaneously with the meal.

21. Few Essential oils

Introduction

Although there are several exercises like walking, strength training, stationary cycling, swimming and tai-chi, for diabetes, yoga for diabetes is satiating as it calms the body and mind.

Being one of the 6 best-recommended exercises for diabetes, yoga is an ancient art that originated in India over 5000 years ago and this accompanies a series of mental, physical and breathing discipline.

For those suffering from diabetes mellitus or gestational diabetes or even pre-diabetes need to accommodate a regular yoga session including a healthy lifestyle to control the symptoms of diabetes and better the condition in the long run.

Yoga is like an all-purpose solution for the treatment of diabetes and it has been proved in recent studies that diabetes responds well to yogic management.

How yoga helps diabetics ?

Yoga offers the following 5 benefits in diabetes :

Yoga postures aid in the contraction and expansion of the abdominal region, which greatly influences and stimulates the pancreas to secrete insulin.

Breathing techniques, exercise and meditation foster the proper functioning of the endocrine glands

Yoga integrates the body, mind and soul and can ease the daily stress that often can increase blood sugar levels. It can also help alleviate chronic stress.

Yoga helps build a positive mindset for diabetes management and amplifies focus in the mind.

Recommended postures/Asanas for Diabetes :

Dhanurasana

Also called the bow pose, helps in the systematic functioning of the pancreas and aids the body in weight loss.

Paschimottasana

It is a head to toe pose, which helps relieve stress and cures obesity, it is also effective in improving digestion and reduces fatigue which is a symptom in diabetes patients.

Bhujangasana

This kind of posture is called the cobra pose. It relieves the body of stress and also stimulates the abdominal organs. This is a great routine of yoga for control of diabetes.

Chakrasana

This wheel pose strengthens kidneys, liver and pancreas and also reduces depression and anxiety issues.

Vakrasana

This posture aids the relief of stiffness in the vertebrae and also regulates the secretion of insulin from the pancreas which is necessary for diabetic patients.

Ardha Matsyendrasana

This posture assists in the stimulation of the pancreas, thereby helping those suffering from diabetes and also helps people with slip disc issues.

Mandukasana

encourages an increase in the amount of insulin to be an advantage to diabetics and also cures joint pains and back pain.

Anulom-vilom

An optimum breathing technique to maintain a healthy heart, it also relaxes the body muscles and treats diabetes by de-stressing it. This is a simple yoga for diabetes.

Kapalbhati

This breathing technique stimulates the abdominal region, benefitting people suffering from diabetes

Yoga for Gestational Diabetes

A pregnant woman also has a probable chance to develop a certain type of diabetes called gestational diabetes, which occurs during 2nd or 3rd trimester when woman have high blood sugar levels and the pancreas does not produce sufficient insulin.

To prevent this kind of diabetes during pregnancy the postures of yoga for gestational diabetes are:

Tadasana

Uttasana

Vraksasana

Trikonasana

Things to be noted :

Yoga is an integration of the mind, body and soul and the exercises that it packages helps in achieving a balance between the physical and mental aspects of diabetes, as long as you exercise daily.

It is very important to maintain your focus on the breathing while you perform yoga. It builds awareness in the overall body and mind and assists the nervous system in relaxation.

Feeling fatigue is very common during exercising. If however, you experience fatigue while performing yoga, lie down in Shavasana or relaxation pose.

Always monitor your glucose levels under the supervision of a doctor and if your condition improves, your doctor may consider reducing medications.

Good nutritional support is crucial for diabetics because diabetes exhausts nutrients.

Our body is built with a mechanism to flush out the excess sugar when levels of glucose are high in the blood.

That is why diabetics urinate frequently.

People with diabetes also lose nutrients from their body via urine.

The loss of these vitamins incapacitates the body’s ability to control blood sugar creating an endless loop of loss of vitamins.

To achieve stable blood sugar levels, maintaining a healthy diabetes diet plan and a daily exercise session with the best multivitamins for diabetics is of paramount importance.

While vitamin supplements may help us get a sufficient quantity of nutrients, it is better to consume nutritional food to obtain vitamins rather than tablets or capsules that may have unpredictable side effects because of the active ingredients present in them, hence nutritional diet is irreplaceable.

Our Body requires about 13 vitamins for proper functioning but we require few vitamins which will help diabetics capacitate the use of insulin and regulate blood sugar levels and keep in check with diabetic health and its complications.

Here are 6 vitamins for diabetics :

Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)

Vitamin B12

BIOTIN (vitamin B7)

Vitamin C

Vitamin D

Vitamin E

VITAMIN B6

It intercepts glycation, which is a natural phenomenon in the body where the glucose in your bloodstreams clings on to proteins, which leads to the formation of hazardous new molecules called advanced glycation end products (AGEs).

It can also prevent a type of nerve damage called diabetic neuropathy which occurs with diabetes by aiding nerve health.

Good source of vitamin B6 includes foods like bananas, spinach, broccoli, red capsicum, baked potatoes and chickpeas and Pistachios.

For the non-vegetarians, lean chicken, meat and fish are good food sources.

VITAMIN B12

Metformin, a drug commonly used by people who suffer from type 2 diabetes. Metformin affects the absorption of vitamin B12 in the small intestine.

So supplementation of vitamin B12 is required for type 2 diabetes.

Lack of vitamin B12 can also cause diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Note: Along with Vitamin B12 and B6, vitamin B1 also aids in the prevention of diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage).

Vegetarians may find it difficult to consume vitamin b12 in food sources without supplements and they can be at a greater risk of vitamin B12 deficiency as it is mostly found in non-vegetarian food sources.

Intermittent fasting as the name suggests is a type of dietary routine that cycles between the period of fasting and eating.

Intermittent fasting is one of the most ancient dietary intervention techniques practiced by our ancestors during the ancient time.

It is one of the secrets of health and wellness. Intermittent fasting mimics the diet pattern of our ancestors. Buddha himself was a practitioner of fasting, and he advised his disciples to have their meals between morning and later noon and nothing afterwards. Our ancestors used to eat mostly from dawn to dusk.

Nowadays with the rise of lifestyle-related diseases science has traced back the ancient practices of fasting and its impact on our body.

INTERMITTENT FASTING AND STARVATION – ARE BOTH SAME?

You might be wondering if these two terms sound similar, don’t you?

To clear your doubts, the answer is “NO”, intermittent fasting and starvation are not the same; they are different; although both of these results in the utilizing the energy reserve in the body which results in weight loss.

Starvation is the total absence of food and in case of Intermittent fasting, food is available in abundance; it’s your choice that you decide not to eat.

INTERMITTENT FASTING – HOW IT WORKS

The basic outcome of fasting is to burn off the excess fats stored in our body. If we plan our food intake in combination with fasting then the body will be utilizing the fats that have accumulated during the period of fasting.

After the intake of food, our body does not use all of it at once; it stores some for later use. There are two ways in which our body manages this process. Insulin is the key hormone for storing food energy in our body.

When we eat, it causes a surge or rise in the insulin levels as our body is working on the food particles to break it down and store the energy. Now, this can take place in two ways:

The diet pattern that we follow is mostly involving carbohydrate, so the carbohydrate gets broken down into sugars in the body which can form long chain molecules called glycogen that gets stored in the liver as a form of energy. When the level of glucose (sugar) is more than that is required; our body mechanism starts converting those excess sugars into fats through a process called as “De-Novo Lipogenesis”, which means creating new fats.

Some of the fat gets stored in the liver, while most of the other fats get deposited in other parts of the body which are prone to storing fats.

When we fast the exact opposite happens, insulin levels fall and it signals the body to use the stored fats as energy. The available glycogen present in the liver is utilized first and then the fat reserves will be broken down to fuel the body machinery.

So your body exists in two basic states; one that of feeding and the other one is that of fasting. Therefore, your efforts should be directed towards maintaining a balance between these two states and you will never need to worry about putting on weight, again.

BENEFITS OF INTERMITTENT FASTING

Fasting offers a myriad of benefits most obvious of which is weight loss; in addition to that it offers a host of other benefits which can include:

I will now take you through the various types of intermittent fasting that can be adopted by everyone; especially for those who are troubled by type-2 diabetes and obesity.

TYPES OF INTERMITTENT FASTING

BASIC INTERMITTENT FASTING (BIF)

This is what should be followed in the beginning for at least 1 week or for 2 weeks by Diabetes Patients.

Here one has to have an early dinner say between 7 PM- 7:30 PM and have breakfast next day between 8 AM and 9 AM.

So the fasting time here will be 12.5 hours or 14.5 hours. After breakfast, the lunch can be had between 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM and dinner back again between 7 PM – 7:30 PM.

Continue the cycle for 1 week or 2 weeks. (Ensure your breakfast timings are such that minimum fasting hours should be 12hrs and maximum fasting hours should not be more than 14hours.)

The 16/8 Method: Fast for 16 hours each day

In this method, the fasting duration can last between 14 to 16 hours and there will be an eating window of 8-10 hours.

Here dinner time stays as it is in the BIF. You need to extend your fasting time and have breakfast at 10 am for the first two weeks, in the third week; the breakfast timing shifts further to 11 am. Finally, in the 4th week, you can extend it to a half an hour more to 11:30 am. You can follow this routine 5 days a week for the best results.

You can drink green tea, water, black coffee, and other non-caloric beverages during the fast, and this will help in reducing hunger levels.

ALTERNATE DAY FASTING

Alternate day fasting means fasting every other day of the week, which means if you are having food today you need to fast tomorrow.

This must be started from 5th week. Every alternate day follow either 18 to 20 hours fasting pattern.

FULL DAY FASTING

It is an advanced form of fasting. In this fasting technique, you need to fast for the full 24 hours, you must not eat anything during that period; the next 24 hours you consume a planned diet. I suggest that this technique must be followed only after the above three techniques have been thoroughly experienced by the Diabetes patients.

IMPORTANT POINTS TO BE NOTED:

During the fasting hours: You can drink enough water, green tea without sugar, black coffee without sugar.

During the non-fasting hours have a high protein, Low carbohydrate, and moderate natural Fats based diet.

Strictly avoid these foods:

1. Processed Food

2. Canned Juices

3. Fast Food (French fries, burgers, pizza, other snacks)

4. Sugar Products (Sweet, Milkshake, Pastries etc…)

Once or twice in a month you can have a cheat meal, have your pizza, ice cream or French fries as it will keep cravings at bay and in control without making one feel there is too much sacrifice involved.

Remember, fasting also makes you feel good from the inside, naturally reduces your cravings, and helps in developing quality of resilience and self-restraint. You will feel more energetic and enthusiastic.

Hello readers, today I will be sharing with you the most reliable tools by which you can assess your body fat percentage to determine whether you are obese or overweight and know the associated health risks.

I.Three parameters are very important in the measurement of obesity and its risks :

They are:

1. BMI

2. BODY FAT %

3. WAIST-HIP RATIO

1.How to Calculate BMI?

A healthy weight allows you to be energetic, brisk, and lets you live a fulfilling life.

The first step in finding out if your weight is ideal or not is to check your BMI or the Body Mass Index.

BMI takes into account your height and weight and indicates if you are underweight, normal, overweight or obese. This applies to adults over the age of 20 and is not age or gender specific.

Please note that BMI is not an accurate tool to be used for clinical diagnosis but it can be used as a screening tool to identify potential weight issues in adults. A person can have a high BMI, overweight status, especially bodybuilders with good muscle mass.

A woman can have normal BMI but still can have more body fat.

BMI can’t give accurate measurements of “Body Fat and Muscle Mass” but still, it’s one of the best available screening tools to know Healthy Weight Status.

2. Body Fat Percentage :

Body fat is the amount of fat in your body, compared to everything else.

By evolution, women have more body fat than men due to the demands of childbearing and hormonal changes occurring in their body.

II. How to Measure Body Fat ?

1. Look Method :

The easiest method, look at the accurate list of pictures with body % online and comparing a picture of yourself.

2.Body Fat Clippers :

Pull fat away from muscles pinch them with a caliper, measure and compare with the chart. “The Jackson-Pollack Three Skinfold Sites” formula is accurate.

The Jackson-Pollack method for evaluating body fat percentage takes into consideration three skinfold measurement. For men, the measurement sites are the chest, abdomen, and thigh; while for women, they consist of the thigh, triceps and suprailiac crest, or just above the top of the hip bone.

Men – CHEST (halfway between the nipple and armpit), ABDOMEN (about 1 inch right to your navel), THIGH (halfway between hip and the knee).

Women – TRICEPS (halfway between the bone at the top of your shoulder and elbow), suprailiac (just above the top ride of your hip bone), THIGH (halfway between hip and the knee).

3.The BOD POD:

The BOD POD uses the technique ADP which is also known as Air Displacement Plethysmograph to determine your body composition i.e. (the ratio of fatty mass to lean mass). Body composition is divided into two body mass categories (fat mass & lean mass). The Fat mass consists of all the adipose tissue (fat) present in your body and the Lean mass consists of bone, bodily fluid (blood), organs, and skeletal muscle.

The BOD POD test provides results of these two categories expressed as percentages of total body mass.This method is very accurate but expensive.

4. Dexa Sanning or Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry:

DEXA scan shows the fat and lean mass distribution for the entire body. The greatest benefit of this test is that it is reliable and can detect even small changes in the body composition. This is one of the most accurate method but more on the expensive side.

I personally recommend the simple body fat caliper along with ‘look method’

Note: Essential fat % mentioned above in the chart is the minimal amount of fat required for survival. Anything less than that is dangerous.

Even professional bodybuilders minimize body fat to essential fat only during prepping for the show, rest of the year they maintain higher fat %.

“MEN, WHO HAVE SIX PACKS, MAINTAIN FAT % ANYWHERE BETWEEN 6 to 13%.”

III. Waist-Hip Ratio and Waist Measurement :

It is not only important to assess the total amount of body fat, but also the distribution of the fat counts.

WAIST SIZE may be a better predictor of good health when compared to BMI.

A waist size of more than 35 inches (or 88 cm) in women and over 40 inches (or 102 cm) in men is unhealthy.

Having weight around the waist is a clear sign of VISCERAL FAT.

Visceral fat is that fat which wraps around organs, interrupting with their regular function. This abdominal fat is linked to chronic lifestyle diseases like diabetes, Heart disease, metabolic disturbances, and sleep apnea.

Most people store their body fat in two distinct ways: 1) around their middle (apple shape) and 2) around their hips (pear shape).

WAIST-TO-HIP RATIO also known as the waist-hip ratio is the circumference of the waist divided by the circumference of the hip.

WHR= Waist circumference/Hip circumference.

Weight around the waist has a greater risk of lifestyle-related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes than those with weight around their hips.

Ideally, women should have a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.80 or less, whereas men should have a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.95 or less.

IV.How to measure waist-to-hip ratio?

1. Stand up straight and exhale. Use a measuring tape to check the distance around your waist, just above your belly button. This is your waist circumference.

2. Then measure the distance around the largest part of your hips — the widest part of your buttocks. This is your hip circumference.

If you look closely at your group family photos from 30 years ago and compare them to any family photographs from recent 5 years, you can see that more than 50% of people are overweight in the recent group photos as compared to old photographs, where the number of overweight people would be hardly 20%.

Overweight and obesity is increasing day by day. Nearly 70% of people are overweight nowadays.

Obesity is not just a cosmetic consideration. It is a chronic medical condition which can lead to diabetes, high BP, heart diseases and a few forms of cancers.

In this modern technological era, obesity and its associated complications are killing many people slowly.

It is appropriately called “slow plague of modern times”.

What Causes Obesity?

Due to the repeated intake of refined carbohydrates and processed foods like sugars, bread, refined white rice, Maida, refined flours, creams, syrups and sugary beverages, there is a spike of insulin levels in the body as a compensatory mechanism by the pancreas to control raised blood sugars. Repeated spikes of insulin lead to high insulin levels in the blood called HYPERINSULINEMIA.

Insulin Swells Up Fat Cells. Usually swelled fat cells become normal sized after insulin levels come back to normal levels.

After a few years, repeated insulin spikes and high insulin levels develop resistance which fails to bring down high blood sugar. This condition is called INSULIN RESISTANCE AND HYPERINSULINEMIA. This persistent high level of insulin leads to persistent swelling of fat cells.

Just like the repeated use of antibiotics leads to antibiotic resistance, repeated spikes of insulin by refined carbohydrates and processed food leads to insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance leads to chronic swelling of fat cells called FAT INFLAMMATION which leads to weight gain and can lead to diabetes.

Other causes of weight gain are some medications like antidepressants, antipsychotics, diabetes medications like sulphonylureas and insulin.

When diabetic people start insulin injections, there will be weight gain due to the side effects of taking insulin.

Very rarely obesity is genetic. I keep hearing this frequently from overweight people that Fat runs in our family, that’s why I am overweight. Until very recently, we were taught that our genes determine our destiny and that our genes could not be altered or changed.

Thanks to our research in epigenetics, we are now aware that our environment, diet, and even lifestyle all make a difference in what happens with our genetic heritage and can even change genetic expression.

ALL FATS IN THE BODY are NOT the SAME

Types of Body fats

1) Subcutaneous fat

This is the fat that is found right under your skin on hips, thighs, and belly. Small amounts of subcutaneous fat give shine to skin and make you look beautiful.

We are born with subcutaneous fat, and it acts as a cushion to protect our bones and muscles against any hits and falls.

This is the fat buried deep in our abdominal cavity; it covers all the nearby organs such as filling the spaces between vital organs like the liver and kidneys.

Visceral fat is linked to a multitude of major health problems which includes cholesterol, insulin resistance, and diabetes.

Interestingly, there are some people who appear thin, but who nonetheless have a substantial amount of visceral fat hiding out around their organs.

This condition is called Thin outside and Fat inside (TOFI). It is used to describe people having a disproportionate amount of adipose tissue i.e. fat stored in their abdomen. Visceral fat is dangerous than subcutaneous fat.

Belly Fat Is A Beautiful Combination Of Excess Subcutaneous And Visceral Fat. Belly fat is more dangerous visceral fat.

Men and women differ in fat storage. Usually, the overweight man is likely to store more fat in his abdominal area.

In the case of Women, until menopause, they tend to store fat, mostly subcutaneous fat in the regions of thighs, hips, and butt. After the menopause, as less estrogen is produced, fat moves over and gets stored in and around waist and abdomen.

Lastly, fat in the hips, thighs, and butt carry as many health hazards as it does in the middle of the abdomen.

In my next blog, I will explain about BMI and measurement of body fat percentage.

The UNUSUAL or LESS COMMON signs and symptoms of Diabetes are:

Since Yeasts (fungus) and Bacteria multiply in high numbers in presence of sugars, frequent infections are common in diabetes.

Slow healing wounds:

Image Source – YouTube

High blood sugar decreases the amount of oxygen delivered to wounds through the bloodstream which slows down the healing process.

Darkening of skin:

Image Source – Pinterest

Dark, velvety patches in the folds of skin, usually on the back of neck, knuckles, and elbows are often early warning signs of high blood sugar. High insulin levels increase melanin levels and make skin look dark.

Improvements in vision:

Image Source – Endmyopia.org

High blood sugar in Diabetes causes the shift of fluid levels including the lenses of eyes, leading to a change of refractive power and change in power of glasses for better vision.

This sometimes leads to improvement in vision and no need for glasses. When blood sugars are controlled on treatment, again refractive errors of the lens goes back to previous levels and one needs glasses again.

Tingling and numbness in limbs:

Image Source – Pinterest

High blood sugars cause nerve damage leading to tingling and numbness sensations in limbs.

Itching of skin:

Image Source – Health Tap

Diabetes impairs blood circulation and can lead to dryness and itching.

Decreased hearing:

Image Source – Click.in

Hearing loss could be an early sign of diabetes. Diabetes damages the blood vessels and nerves of the inner ear leading to decreased hearing.

Increase in snoring :

Image Source – Homemade Health and Beauty Tips

One study confirmed 23% of sleep apnea which is characterized by loud snoring and daytime sleepiness will develop diabetes in the next 5 years.

People with disordered breathing, tend to release stress hormones during sleep which can lead to an increase in blood sugars.

Sexual issues:

Image Source -Homemade Health and Beauty Tips

High blood sugar can cause damage to blood vessels and nerves that are needed for normal sexual response leading to sexual dysfunction in both men and women.

UNIQUE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF DIABETES IN MEN;

Apart from above common signs and symptoms, men can have

1. Erectile dysfunction

It is the inability of a man to achieve or maintain an erection. According to a recent meta-analysis of 140 studies, 50% of men with Type 2 Diabetes are suffering from erectile dysfunction.

2. Retrograde ejaculation;

Semen instead of ejected outside is being released back into the urinary bladder.

Thus very less semen gets released during sexual ejaculation.

3. Urological issues like hyperactive bladder, inability to control urine and urine infections.

Urological issues can happen due to diabetic nerve damage.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS UNIQUE TO WOMEN ARE:

1. Vaginal itching and fungal infections

2. Lower sexual drive and some cases lead to painful sex.

3. Frequent urine infections

The cause of the above 3 symptoms of diabetes in women has been explained above.

People get long term and easy loans from the banks with hope on future.

Getting loans was not easy earlier and loans were not for long term. Now people are running on home loans for 10 to 20 years.

Many people stick to jobs they don’t like due to loan commitments which is chronic stress.

2. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF STRESS

OUR BODY KNOWS HOW TO HANDLE STRESS.

Stress is our body’s way of responding to any kind of demand or threat that it senses internally and externally.

When you sense danger, which can be real or a figment of our imagination, at that time our body’s self-defence comes into action and produces a rapid, automatic process known as the “fight-or-flight” reaction or better known as the “stress response.”

But beyond a certain point, stress becomes negative for our body and causes changes that have long-term implications for our health, mood, productivity and which results in overall degradation in the quality of our life.

The most dangerous characteristic of stress is that your body gets used to it on a daily basis letting it grow within. That’s why it is also referred to as “Silent Killer”.

It is therefore very important to understand these most common warning signs and symptoms associated with stress:

3. WHAT HAPPENS TO OUR BODY CHEMISTRY UNDER STRESS?

The most general changes or responses that occur in your body when it is stressed results in releasing of a wave of stress hormones, including ADRENALINE and CORTISOL, which prepares the body for emergency action.

Your heart will pound faster, muscles get tightened, blood pressure rises more than usual, breath becomes short and rapid, and your senses are in a heightened state.

The problem happens when adrenaline and CORTISOL, primary stress hormones continue to increase in blood for a long time under chronic stress.

Chronic increase in cortisol increases blood sugar levels, raises our BP and in the long run can lead to DIABETES, HYPERTENSION, HEART ATTACKS, DEPRESSION and many chronic lifestyle diseases.

Few people know this.

Example: 15 to 20% of heart attacks are caused by chronic stress but it is less understood than the high cholesterol causing heart problems.

In my next post, I will be discussing tips to manage stress. Do subscribe to the mailing list for getting notified of the latest posts in my blog.

What is Snoring?

Noisy breathing during sleep is referred to as Snoring. It occurs when you are unable to move air freely through your nose and throat at during sleep. Snoring often occurs while breathing in, and can come through the nose, mouth or a combination of the two. Snoring results when the flow of air you breathe makes the tissues in the back of your throat vibrate in response to that. Snoring can be a symptom of sleep apnea.

Source- Snoring Canada

Those who snore often are found to have too much throat and nasal tissue or “floppy” tissue as it is called which is more prone to vibrate. The position of your tongue can also cause obstruction in the way of smooth breathing.

A Recent study shows that 33% of Indians snore and up to 14% snore as loud as they talk or sometimes even louder. It is more common among men than women. (In women chances are higher after menopause)

Other than the commonly known issues of Snoring, Snoring could be indicative of Narrowing of airway in neck. In some people, Snoring could also lead to mental agitation and crankiness during the day.

Common causes of snoring :

Age – Your throat becomes narrower with increasing age especially after mid age, and the muscle tone in your throat decreases. Throat exercises, new bedtime routines can all help to prevent snoring as you cannot do anything about your growing age.

Being overweight or out of shape – Excess weight around your neck or throat can be the cause of snoring. Even if you are not overweight or bulky in appearance. Losing that excess weight can help with reduced snoring bouts.

Physical Makeup – Men have narrower air passages than women and are more likely to snore. It should be noted that the presence of enlarged adenoids, cleft palate, narrow throat and other physical attributes that contribute to snoring which are often hereditary.

Nasal and sinus problems – Inhalation becomes difficult if airways are blocked, a stuffy nose creates a vacuum in the throat, which ultimately leads to snoring.

Alcohol, smoking, and medications – Tranquilizers such as lorazepam (Ativan) and diazepam (Valium), can increase muscle relaxation leading to more snoring. Alcohol intake, smoking also contributes to snoring.

Sleep posture – If you have a tendency to sleeping lying flat on your back, it can cause the flesh of your throat to relax and block the airway which causes snoring. It is recommended to change your sleep position.

Symptoms :

Sometimes snoring can not only be annoying to you as well as those around you, but it also can indicate an underlying health problem. You should be reaching out to the doctor if you notice any of these symptoms-

1. You are a constant snorer, and you snore in any position while sleeping.

2. You have morning headaches and feel excessively sleepy throughout the day. Even after full sleep.

3. Your snore is very loud, and you pause in between your breathing and make gasping noises in sleep which indicates obstruction in airways.

All these symptoms could be a warning sign of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).

Source : Health Normal

Sleep Apnea – Why you are at risk?

Sleep apnea – A Potential Sleep disorder, which causes involuntary pauses in breathing during sleep. Affecting millions of people throughout the world, caused due to either a blockage in the airway or when the brain does not signal for breathing.

These blockages can last from a few seconds to few minutes and can occur for approximately 30 times in one hour. Therefore if left untreated, sleep apnea can be a potentially dangerous disorder.

Source- Health Navigator

Sleep Apnea Types:

1. Obstructive sleep apnea,occurs when throat muscles relax. It is the most common form that obstructs sleep.

2.Central sleep apnea,occurs when your brain does not send proper signals to the muscles that are responsible for controlled breathing.

3.Complex sleep apnea syndrome,occurs when someone has both obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. It is also known as treatment- emergent central sleep apnea

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Majority of the health issues I find today are directly in relation to the Lifestyle we lead. We cannot bring about any transformation in us when we stay ignorant about the causes behind these health issues and do not make lifestyle changes accordingly.